Apr 13, 2017

C-130 and a Very Big Bomb

The Marines dropped a similar bomb in Vietnam from a C-130. The Air Support Radar Team on top of Hill 327 controlled the mission. We listened to the count down - 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Standby, Standby, Mark Mark. We ran outside the van before the end of the countdown to watch the show.The C-130 moved into a steep climb, then a parachute deployed and pulled the very large bomb out of the 130. The bomb swung wildly, then fell to the jungle below, with an enormous explosion. KABOOM !!

The drop was an effort to create an instant Landing Zone by blowing the trees out of the way. But the word came back that the trees were in such disarray the effort failed - there were too many fallen trees in the way for an effective LZ.